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BANCROFT 
LIBRARY 

o 

THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


THE  PUBLIC  BE  PLEASED   ( 


THE  RAILROAD  BUREAU  FOR  BRICKBATS 
AND  BOUQUETS" 


REPRINTED  FOR  DISTRIBUTION  THROUGH  THE 
BUREAU  FOR  SUGGESTIONS  AND  COMPLAINTS 

OF  THE 

UNITED  STATES  RAILROAD  ADMINISTRATION 


WASHINGTON,  OCTOBER,  1918 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 
1918 


A  LIFE  SENTENCE 


From  an  address  recently  dtticzrcd  by  the  ReV.  J.  F. 
Wdnmann,  of  Philadelphia. 


'"TAKE  the  case  of  a  railroad  con- 
A      ductor  or  engineer.    Suppose  a 
man  has  ta  take  a  train  of  coaches  from 
New  York  to  Washington,  leaving  New 
York,  say,  at  6  a.  m.     Anyone  can  readily 
see  that  his  task  may  be  contemplated  in 
two  entirely  different  frames  of  mind. 
"  He  can  say,  as  the  bell  rings  and  rouses  him  in  what  seems 
the  dead  of  night, '  Hang  it  all,  it's  time  to  get  up  again;  noth- 
ing but  the  same  old  grind;  I  hate  railroading  anyway;  I 
think  I'll  quit;  this  isn't  a  job;  it's  a  life  sentence.' 

"  Or  he  can  do  something  else.  He  can  press  a  button 
somewhere  inside  himself  and  in  a  flash  see  the  whole  situa- 
tion big  before  him,  pulsating  and  tense  in  its  human  interest. 
He  can  see  the  great 'system' with  which  he  is  connected; 
its  multiple*  life.  He  can  see  the  huge  overarched  shed  with 
its  breathing  trains;  he  can  see  his  own  engine  or  train,  and 
as  he  contemplates  what  by  this  time  has  begun  to  shape 
itself  in  his  mind  as  an  opportunity  a  smile  can  be  seen  break- 
ing out  on  his  lively  face — it  is  his  engine,  his  train;  he  can 
see  the  three  hundred  souls,  mere  or  less,  waiting  to  be 
taken  to  Washington,  each  with  a  living  interest,  hew  and 
with  what  fraught  God  only  knows;  and  it's  uf>  to  him  to  la\e 
that  big  human  thing  to  Washington  I  Once  more  he  smiles 
and,  thanking  God  he  has  a  share  in  human  things,  in  the 
work  that  needs  to  be  done,  he  presses  his  hat  down  on  his 
head  and  'beats it.'" 

Printed  for  distribution  among  the  United  States 
Army  of  Railroad  Men  with  the  compliments  of — 


Director  General  of  Railroads. 


COPY  OF  POST  CAKD  RECENTLY  SENT  TO  EVERY  EMPLOYEE 

OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  RAILROAD  ADMINISTRATION 

BY  DIRECTOR  GENERAL  MCADOO 


p 


THE  PUBLIC  BE  PLEASED. 


"THE    RAILROAD    BUREAU    FOR    BRICKBATS    AND    BOUQUETS. 


By  THEO.  H.  PRICE, 
'Actuary  to  United  States  Railroad  Administration. 


As  you  fall  unconcernedly  asleep  in  a  Pullman  car,  which,  with 
all  its  drawbacks,  is  the  least  uncomfortable  means  of  traveling  at 
night  on  land  that  has  as  yet  been  devised,  did  you  ever  reflect  upon 
the  number  of  persons  and  the  complexity  of  the  organization  upon 
which  you  are  dependent  for  the  safety  and  luxury  in  which  you  are 
able  to  make  your  journey?  The  engineer  and  the  fireman,  the  con- 
ductor and  the  brakemen,  the  Pullman  conductor  and  the  porter,  the 
steward  in  the  dining  car  and  the  waiters  are  all  more  or  less  in  evi- 
dence, and  of  their  presence  and  the  service  they  render  you  may  be 
more  or  less  conscious,  but  behind  them  and  directing  their  activities 
is  an  unseen  host  of  others  upon  whose  vigilance  in  the  performance 
of  their  duties  your  life  and  comfort  depend. 

There  is  the  train  dispatcher  and  the  telegraph  operators,  the  track- 
walker who  patrols  the  right  of  way  day  and  night,  and  the  section 
gang  who  must  always  be  ready  to  repair  any  defects,  the  switchmen, 
and  the  inspector  who  used  to  go  about  tapping  the  car  wheels  with 
his  tell-tale  hammer  at  the  end  of  each  division,  the  "  hostler  "  who 
takes  care  of  the  engine  and  the  machinist  who  repairs  it,  the  car  clean- 
ers, the  iceman,  the  commissary  chief  who  provisions  the  dining  cars, 
the  ticket  agent  and  the  station  master,  the  "  red  cap  "  and  the  baggage- 
man ;  if  any  one  of  these  fails  in  his  appointed  task,  the  passenger  is 
almost  certain  to  suffer  or  be  inconvenienced.  Back  of  these  again 
there  used  to  be  the  executive  officers,  the  president,  the  various  vice 
presidents,  the  general  manager,  and  the  superintendent,  with  scores 
of  other  functionaries  who  were  the  objects  of  relentless  public  criti- 
cism if  their  subordinates  were  careless  or  inefficient.  Now  that  the 
railroads  are  under  the  control  of  the  Government  the  operative  duties 
of  the  railroad  president  and  the  vice-presidents  devolve  upon  a 
Federal  manager  and  his  assistants.  They  are  in  turn  responsible 
to  a  regional  director,  who  is  the  representative  of  Director  General 
McAdoo  at  Washington;  but  in  other  respects  the  operating  organ- 
ization is  not  much  changed  and,  because  some  people,  forgetting 
the  exigencies  of  the  war,  assume  that  the  Government  is  omnipotent, 
they  are  now  disposed  to  be  more,  rather  than  less,  exacting  in  de- 
manding perfection  of  service  from  the  machine  that  is  called  the 
American  railroad  system.  Composed,  as  this  machines  is,  of  literally 

89295'— 18 


4  THE  PUBLIC  BE  PLEASED. 

millions  of  mechanical  parts  whose  functioning  depends  upon  the  co- 
ordinated watchfulness  and  care  of  thousands  of  fallible  human  be- 
ings, it  is  really  surprising  that  more  accidents  do  not  occur,  and  that 
the  reaction  of  man  upon  man  does  not  result  in  irritation  oftener 
than  is  the  case.  When  we  consider  that  a  loose  spike,  a  defective 
rail,  a  misplaced  switch,  or  a  misread  signal  may  precipitate  a  train- 
load  of  people  into  eternity,  and  that  an  innumerable  number  of 
spikes,  rails,  switches,  and  signals,  to  say  nothing  of  the  air  brakes, 
couplings,  electric  wires,  and  steam  and  water  supply  pipes,  with  an 
engine  having  about  15,00(5  separate  parts  that  make  up  a  passenger 
train  must  all  be  as  they^  should  be  if  we  are  to  reach  our  journey's 
end  successfully  and  on  time*  it  is  little  shore  of  marvelous  that  travel 
is  as  safe  as  it  has  become  and  that  under  the  strain  to  which  they 
are  subjected  railroad  employees  are  not  oftener  careless  and  impa- 
tient. It  is  greatly  to  the  credit  of  the  executive  officers  who  through 
three  generations  had  built  up  the  fabric  that  is  called  the  American 
railroad  system  that  they  should  have  succeeded  in  developing  the 
esprit  de  corps  by  which  the  men  under  them  were  animated.  This 
had  been  accomplished  in  the  face  of  many  difficulties,  including 
especially  a  mass  of  hampering  legislation  in  48  different  States;  and 
when,  in  order  to  meet  the  exigencies  of  the  war,  it  became  necessary 
for  the  President  to  put  the  transportation  agencies  of  the  country 
under  the  control  of  Mr.  McAdoo,  his  first  care  was  to  preserve  and 
increase  the  spirit  of  idealism  in  the  performance  of  their  duty  that 
was  characteristic  of  the  Americans  who  had  become  proud  of  being 
called  "  railroad  men." 

There  were  not  wanting  those  who  predicted  a  speedy  decline  in 
what  has  come  to  be  called  the  "  morale  "  of  the  railroad  army,  and 
there  were  some  who,  professing  to  discern  such  a  decline,  persuaded 
others  to  look  through  glasses  that  were  darkened  by  a  defeatist  self- 
interest  in  the  failure  of  Government  control. 

The  Director  General,  confident  as  he  was  of  the  loyalty  of  the  men, 
did  not  share  this  pessimism,  but  feeling  nevertheless  that  it  was  his 
duty  to  ascertain  whether  it  had  any  basis,  he  determined,  with  his 
customary  directness,  to  ask  the  public  to  tell  him  frankly  how  and 
where  the  service  could  be  improved. 

Accordingly  he  issued  an  order  establishing  a  Bureau  for  Sugges- 
tions and  Complaints,  and  on  the  3d  of  September,  1918,  the  follow- 
ing notice  was  posted  in  every  station  and  passenger  coach  under  the 
control  of  the  United  States  Railroad  Administration : 

To  the  public: 

I  desire  your  assistance  and  cooperation  in  making  the  railroad  service  while 
under  Federal  control  in  the  highest  possible  degree  satisfactory  and  efficient. 

Of  course,  the  paramount  necessities  of  the  war  most  have  first  consideration. 

Our  gallant  sons  who  are  fighting  in  B'rance  and  on  the  high  seas  can  not  be 
adequately  supported  unless  the  railroads  supply  sufficient  transportation  for 
the  movenu'Mfc  of  troops  and  war  materials  and  to  keep  the  war  industries  of  the 
Nation  going  without  interruption. 

The  next  purpose  is  to  serve  the  puhllc  convenience,  comfort,  and  necessity  to 
the  fullest  extent  not  incompatible  with  the  paramount  demands  of  the  war. 

In  order  to  accomplish  this,  criticisms  and  suggestions  from  the  public  will  be 
extremely  helpful,  whether  they  relate  to  the  service  rendered  by  employees  and 
officials  or  impersonal  details  that  may  convenience  or  inconvenience  patrons  of 
the  railroads.  It  is  impossible  for  even  the  most  vigilant  management  to  keep 
constantly  in  touch  with  local  conditions  and  correct  them  when  they  are  not  as 


THE  PUBLIC  BE   PLEASED.  5 

they  should  be  unless  the  public  will  cooperate  In  pointing  out  deficiencies  and 
disservice  when  they  exist,  so  that  the  proper  remedies  may  be  applied. 

I  have  therefore  established  a  Bureau  for  Suggestions  and  Complaints  In  the 
Director  General's  office  at  Washington,  to  which  the  public  is  Invited  to  resort. 

Aside  from  letters  of  complaint  and  suggestion,  the  public  can  render  a  genu- 
ine service  by  sending  letters  of  commendation  of  employees  who  are  conspicu- 
ously courteous  and  efficient  in  the  performance  of  their  duties.  Nothing  pro- 
motes the  esprit  of  a  groat  organization  more  than  recognition  from  time  to 
time  of  these  employees  who  perform  their  duties  faithfully  and  commendably. 

It  is  requested  that  all  communications  be  brief  and  explicit  and  that  th« 
name  and  address  of  the  writer  be  distinctly  written. 

Also  give  the  time  of  day  or  night,  the  number  of  the  train,  the  name  of  the 
railroad,  and,  if  possible,  the  name  of  the  employee  whose  conduct  is  complained 
of  or  whose  services  are  commended,  together  with  such  other  information  as 
will  enable  me  to  take  appropriate  action. 

Please  address  r'  ,_, 

W.  G.  McAooo, 

Director  General  of  Railroad*, 
Bureau  for  Suggestions  and  Complaints, 

Washington,  D.  0. 

To  deal  with  the  letters  which  this  notice  was  expected  to  elicit,  five 
trained  men  were  selected  and  put  under  the  direction  of  the  writer. 
They  include  Ballard  Dunn,  assistant  actuary  to  the  United  States 
Railroad  Administration  and  formerly  special  representative  of 
president's  office,  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  Omaha;  J.  F.  Jarrell, 
formerly  editorial  writer  on  Kansas  City  Times  and  Topeka  Capital, 
and  later  with  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad  as  editor 
of  its  industrial  and  agricultural  publications  and  in  general  charge 
of  publicity  matters ;  T.  T.  Maxey,  formerly  of  the  Chicago,  Burling- 
ton &  Quincy  Railroad  as  advertising  agent;  E.  H.  Lamb,  formerly 
general  agent  of  the  Chicago  &  North  Western  Railway  at  Sacra- 
mento, Gal.;* and  Frank  F.  George,  formerly  secretary  to  the  actuary 
to  the  United  States  Railroad  Administration. 

This  Bureau  for  Suggestions  and  Complaints,  which  a  newspaper 
man  has  facetiously  dubbed  the  "  bureau  of  brickbats  and  bouquets," 
is  Mr.  McAdoo's  latest  application  of  his  motto  "The  public  be 
pleased."  It  has  now  been  in  existence  long  enough  to  make  it  pos- 
sible for  those  in  charge  of  it  to  draw  a  cross  section  of  the  composite 
public  mind  as  revealed  in  the  many  thousands  of  letters  that  have 
been  received. 

The  writers  of  these  letters  unconsciously  divide  themselves  into 
two  classes — one  comprising  those  who  are  temperamentally  cen- 
sorious, and  another  which  includes  the  people  who  believe  that  praise 
is  a  duty  and  that  "criticism  is  best  defined  as  an  emphasis  of  tho 
desirable." 

The  rhyme  which  runs — 

Between  the  optimist  and  pessimist  the  difference  Is  droll, 
The  optimist  the  doughnut  sees— the  pessimist  the  hole 

finds  fresh  application  in  not  a  few  contrasting  letters  upon  the  same 
subject,  but  between  the  two  extremes  there  are  many  who  are  evi- 
dently inspired  by  a  public-spirited  desire  to  improve  the  service  that 
the  railroads  are  trying  to  render  and  a  patriotic  willingness  to 
subordinate  their  own  convenience  and  comfort  to  the  primary  pur- 
pose for  which  the  railroads  were  taken  over,  namely,  the  winning  of 
the  war. 


6  THE   PUBLIC   BE   PLEASED. 


this  latter  class  is  in  a  very  large  majority  is  one  of  the  reas- 
suring facts  revealed  by  the  experience  of  the  Bureau  for  Suggestions 
and  Complaints. 

Some  of  the  newspaper  writers  who  have  been  vociferous  in  pro- 
claiming the  discourtesy  and  indifference  of  "Uncle  Sam's  railway 
employees  "  would  perhaps  be  surprised  at  the  number  of  letters  of 
-commendation  that  have  been  received,  and  while  a  few  of  them  are 
no  doubt  the  result  of  auto-suggestion,  it  is  evident  that  as  a  class 
the  men  and  the  increasingly  large  number  of  women  who  compose 
the  "  railway  army  "  of  the  United  States  are  loyal  and  enthusiastic, 
anxious  and  willing  to  give  the  best  that  is  in  them  to  the  work  in 
which  they  are  enlisted.  Perhaps  a  story  written  by  a  newspaper 
reporter  who  started  out  to  find  the  discourteous  railway  employee 
and  failed  describes  the  experience  of  not  a  few  disappointed  pessi- 
mists. This  reporter  was  named  John  C.  Baskerville,  and  his  story 
was  published  in  the  Des  Moines  (Iowa)  Record.  It  follows  and  is 
reprinted  as  a  spontaneous  tribute  to  the  many  railroad  employees  at 
Des  Moines  and  elsewhere  who  deserve  a  word  of  praise  for  their 
self-control  under  conditions  that  are  irritating. 

YOUNG    REPORTER    TRIES    TO    LOCATE    DISCOURTEOUS    RAILWAY    EMPLOYEES  — 
SEARCHES  TICKET  OFFICES  AND  RAILROAD  STATION  TO  FIND  MEN  WHO  Yv7iLL 
!     TALK  ROUGH  TO  HIM. 

[By  John  C.  Baskerville.] 

Because  of  so  many  rumors  that  railway  employees  had  adopted  an  attitude 
of  "  the  public  be  damned  "  since  the  roads  came  under  Federal  control,  the 
young  reporter  set  out  to  investigate  on  his  own  hook. 

He  selected  the  most  pretentious-looking  ticket  office  in  Des  Moines,  entered, 
and  approached  the  bar  —  beg  pardon;  desk,  I  should  say  —  falteringly.  He 
asked  for  the  manager.  The  clerk  smiled,  but  courteously  summoned  a  busi- 
nesslike-looking man  with  rimmed  spectacles. 

"What  is  the  best  way  to  get  from  Des  Moines  to  Skeedunk  Hollow,  Mo.?" 
asked  the  young  reporter. 

Although  the  businesslike  agent  had  never  heard  of  the  place,  he  searched 
through  big  volumes  and  many  maps,  finally  locating  the  place  in  question.  He 
located  the  railroad  it  was  on,  looked  up  the  connections,  gave  the  hours  trains 
left  Des  Moines,  and  went  into  detail  to  the  rather  dull-appearing  youth  on 
the  other  side  of  the  desk. 

NO    NEED    TO    PURCHASE. 

Unlike  the  clothing  salesman  or  jewelry-store  clerk,  he  did  not  insist  upon  an 
Immediate  purchase  of  a  ticket,  and  when  the  young  man  turned  away,  stating 
that  he  had  heard  of  that  place  and  wondered  how  he  would  get  there  if  he  ever 
wanted  to,  the  agent  was  still  smiling  and  courteous. 

From  this  office  the  young  man  forsook  the  offices  of  Walnut  Street  and 
sought  one  in  the  vicinity  of  Seventh  Street.  Here  he  inquired  how  to  get  to  a 
remote  spot  in  South  Dakota.  Although  there  were  not  as  many  men  in  the 
office  to  wait  upon  the  public  as  in  the-  other,  he  was  required  to  wait  his  turn. 
But  his  questions  were  answered  courteously,  and  the  greatest  of  care  taken  to 
direct  him  with  regard  to  all  details  of  the  journey. 

He  retraced  his  steps  to  Walnut  and  entered  another  office.  He  was  delayed 
somewhat  by  a  large,  overgrown,  superfed  human  crab,  who  was  vociferously 
attempting  to  provoke  the  genial  and  accommodating  agent  to  wrath  by  criti- 
cising railroads  in  general,  and  expounding  upon  the  way  he  would  run  the 
roads  if  he  were  doing  it. 

j  GETS    INFORMATION    CHEERFULLY. 

This  time  the  reporter  was  interested  in  Pullman  berths  from  a  point  outside 
of  Des  Moines  to  the  far  West.  He  asked  the  agent  to  make  the  reservations, 
assuming  ignorance  of  the  fact  that  the  Director  General  had  prohibited  all 


THE  PUBLIC  BIT  PLEASED.  7 

offices  wiring  for  berths  except  at  the  expense  of  the  purchaser.1  This  fact  was 
explained  by  the  agent,  who  volunteered,  however,  to  make  out  the  wire,  send 
it  over,  and  telephone  results,  although  the  expense  would  have  to  be  met  by  the 
person  resenting  the  berths. 

It  so  happened  that  the  young  reporter  had  once  or  twice  had  occasion  to  buy 
Pullman  tickets  before — not  having  always  been  a  reporter— hut  never  had  he 
been  shown  such  attention  and  accommodation. 

So  far  Dotliing  but  failure  had  rewarded  the  search  for  the  "public-be- 
damncHl "  attitude  among  the  railway  men.  But  he  was  not  discouraged.  He 
decided  to  beard  the  lion  in  his  den,  and  call  upon  that  high  and  mighty,  the 
manager  of  the  division. 

He  was  informed  that  the  manager  was  out  at  the  time,  but — still  greater 
wonder — the  chief  clerk,  generally  considered  to  be  more  fierce  in  his  natural 
instincts  than  the  manager  himself — volunteered  to  give  \vliat  information  he 
could  on  the  subject,  calling  in  the  general  freight  traffic  manager  to  assist. 
J| 

SEES   FAILURE    AHEAD. 

What  was  to  be  done?  Failure  stared  grotesquely  into  the  face  of  the  young 
niHn  who  had  started  in  pursuit  of  success.  But  additional  thought  brought  one 
more  chance  to  light  That  night  he  would  visit  the  station  when  it  was  most 
crowded  and  seek  more  Information. 

When  tiie  limited  trains  became  due,  the  reporter  took  his  place  in  the  long  line 
of  ticket  purchasers  before  the  window  at  the  railway  station.  When  he  reached 
it,  his  questions  and  numerous  desires  pot  two  clerks  to  work  searching  records, 
maps,  and  rate  schedules.  There  was  no  complaint  from  the  men  behind  the 
window. 

lie  then  went  out  among  the  trains  and  people  on  t,he  tracks.  He  selected  one 
brakeman  who  had  been  handling  hundreds  of  suitcases  and  dozens  of  babies,  in- 
cidently  answering  some  thousands  of  questions,  who  stood  mopping-  his  brow,  as 
the  train  was  almost  ready  to  start.  He  held  a  letter,  previously  prepared,  out 
to  the  man,  asking  that  he  mail  it  on  the  fast  train  at  the  junction  with  an- 
other line. 

This  last  card  he  was  certain  woiild  give  him  the  necessary  data  for  his  story. 
It  would  surely  be  the  last  straw  for  the  brakeman  with  the  "  pnblic-be-damned  " 
attitude,  since  he  was  getting  paid  by  the  Government 

The  brukeman  took  the  letter,  obligingly  agreeing  to  mail  it  at  the  point 
mentioned ! 

Then  the  young  reporter  went  to  the  office  and  wrote  a  different,  but  better, 
story  than  he  expected  to  get. 

Apropos  of  the  foregoing,  it  m-ay  be  appropriate  to  mention  a  letter 
from  a  man  who  says  that  "  I  know  that  many  will  complain  of  the 
discourtesy  of  railway  employees  to  the  publicr  but  I  desire  to  file  a 
complaint  in  regard  to  the  discourtesy  of  the  public  to  railway  em- 
ployees," as  emphasizing  the  need  of  reciprocity  in  politeness  in  a  way 
that  many  travelers  would  do  well  to  ponder,  for  it  is  undoubtedly 
true  that  some  of  the  questions  that  railroad  men  have  to  answer 
and  some  of  the  demands  made  upon  them  are  absurd  and  exasperat- 
ing to  a  degree  that  even  Job  would  have  resented. 

Of  the  letters  received,  probably  three-fourths  complain  of  condi- 
tions that  are  presently  unavoidable  or  of  regulations,  the  reasonable- 
ness of  which  is  not  apparent  to  the  casual  traveler  who  fails  to 
appreciate  or  understand  the  complexity  of  the  railroad  machine  or 
the  necessity  of  protecting  the  public  against  the  ignorance,  careless- 
ness, and  selfishness  of  some  and  the  dishonesty  of  others  who  feel 
that  it  is  no  sin  to  evade  the  payment  of  their  f ares  or  "  get  the 
best  of  the  railroad." 

What  may  be  called  the  conventional  complaints  relate  chiefly  to  a 
few  subjects,  which  are  dealt  with,  as  follows,  in  the  order  in  which 

1  Since  this  newspaper  story  was  written  arrangements  have  been  made  for  the  free  nst 
oi  railroad  wires  in  making  telegraphic  reservations  of  Pullman  accommodations  for  con- 
tinuous journeys.  When  thus  reserved,  however,  those  reservation*  must  be  paid  for. 


8  THE   PUBLIC   BE   PLEASED. 

they  seem  uppermost  in  the  public  mind  and  have  elicited  the  largest 
number  of  letters. 

They  are: 

1.  The  crowded  condition  of  the  stations  and  cars  and  the  delay 
encountered  in  purchasing  tickets. — Under  this  heading  there  may  be 
considered  practically  all  the  complaints  which  arise  as  a  result  of  the 
unprecedented  increase  in  the  passenger  traffic  of  late  and  the  short- 
age in  the  ticket-selling  forces  that  is  the  result  of  the  draft  and  the 
high  wages  which  have  attracted  many  experienced  railroad  men 
into  other  positions  where  they  can,  for  the  present  at  least,  earn  more 
than  it  is  possible  for  the  railroads  to  pay.  The  enormous  increase  in 
passenger  traffic  with  which  the  railroads  are  now  contending  is  not 
perhaps  generally  appreciated.  The  complete  comparative  statistics 
for  June,  1917,  and  June,  1918,  are  not  yet  available,  but  a  statement 
wjiich  includes  the  passenger  traffic  of  208,988  miles  of  railroads  out 
of  a  total  mileage  of  nearly  300,000  miles  shows  that  3,621,088,633 
passengers  were  carried  1  mile  in  June,  1918,  as  compared  with 
3,049,S03,()35  passengers  carried  1  mile  in  June,  1917.  The  increase 
of  571,285,028  passengers  carried  1  mile  is  equal  to  18.17  per  cent,  and 
if  it  be  assumed  that  the  average  journev  of  each  passenger  was  50  * 
miles,  which  is  probably  an  approximation  to  the  fact,  we  shall  be 
justified  in  concluding  that  the  railroads  reporting  had  to  carry  11,- 
425,700  more  persons  in  June,  1918,  than  during  the  same  month  in 
the  previous  year,  and  that  there  was  an  equal  increase  in  the  number 
of  tickets  sold.  As  the  roads  reporting  include  only  about  two-thirds, 
but  the  most  important  two-thirds,  of  the  total  mileage  in  the  United 
States,  it  is  not  improbable  that  there,  was  an  aggregate  increase  of 
15,000,000  in  the  number  of  persons  traveling  and  the  number  of  jour- 
neys made  throughout  the  United  States  in  the  month  of  June,  1918, 
as  compared  with  June,  1917.  This  means  an  increase  of  750,000  in 
the  number  of  persons  traveling  each  day.  The  average  passenger 
car  will  seat  50  people,  and  to  carry  750,000  persons  15,000  cars  filled 
to  capacity  would  be  required.  They  are  not  to  be  had.  They  could 
not  have  been  built  even  if  they  had  been  ordered.  The  labor  and  ma- 
terial necessary  are  unobtainable.  According  to  the  figures  of  the  In- 
terstate Commerce  Commission  there  were  (excluding  parlor  and 
sleeping  cars)  only  40,870  passenger  cars  of  all  sorts  in  the  United 
States  in  the  year  1916,  and  the  necessity  of  crowding  these  cars  in 
order  to  transport  those  who  now  desire  to  travel  will  at  once  be  ap- 
parent even  to  the  statistical  tyro. 

An  average  of  about  1,100,000  troops  a  month  is  now  being  carried 
by  the  railroads  on  orders  from  the  War  and  Navy  Departments.  A 
great  many  other  soldiers  and  sailors  are  traveling  on  their  own  ac- 
count and  at  their  own  expense.  The  mothers,  fathers,  wives,  sweet- 
hearts, and  friends-  of  these  men  have  also  been  traveling  to  visit  them ' 
at  the  camps  at  which  they  were  stationed.  The  high  wages  that  are 
being  paid  in  industry  generally,  and  particularly  in  the  shipyards 
and  munition  factories,  the  agricultural  prosperity  that  is  the  result 
of  $2  wheat  and  30-cent  cotton  have  made  many  of  those  who  were  not 
previously  in  the  habit  of  traveling  feel  able  to  "  take  a  trip,"  and  they 

i According  to  tho  figures  of  the  Interstate  Commerce  Commission  the  average  journey 
per  passenger  in  1910  was  34.73  miles,  which  figure,  if  applied  to  the  returns  for  1918, 
would  indicate  an  incroase  of  over  21,000,000  in  the  number  of  persons  traveling  during 
the  month  of  June,  1018,  as  compared  with  June,  1917.  Inasmuch,  however,  as  this  year's 
figures  include  the  movement  of  many  troops  over  long  runs,  I  have  preferred  to  avoid  an 
overestimate  by  assuming  that  the  length  of  the  average  journey  was  50  miles. 


THE  PUBLIC  BE  PLEASED.  9 

have  yielded  to  the  impulse.  Concurrently  the  force  of  ticket  sellers 
has  been  depleted  by  draft  or  resignation  to  accept  other  and  better- 
paid  positions,  and  those  who  were  left  have  had  to  deal  with  the  un- 
precedented increase  in  the  passenger  traffic  that  the  figures  given 
disclose. 

Under  the  circumstances  it  is  not  surprising  that  sometimes  long 
lines  of  people  are  to  be  found  waiting  at  important  ticket  offices. 
It  is  not  possible  for  untrained  men  to  sell  railroad  tickets.  This 
work  requires  a  knowledge  of  routes,  rates,  time  tables,  and  connec- 
tions that  can  only  be  acquired  by  experience  and  an  ability  to  make 
change  promptly  and  accurately  and  to  be  self -controlled  when  tired 
or  exasperated  that  can  not  be  learned  in  a  minute.  In  an  effort  to 
meet  the  public  demand  the  United  States  Railroad  Administration 
has  opened  schools  in  some  of  the  larger  cities  for  the  education  of 
women  as  ticket  sellers,  and  not  a  few  graduates  have  been  passed 
from  these  schools-  into  active  service,  but  the  number  of  women  who 
have  applied  for  this  instruction  is  not  large,  and  after  making 
allow ances  for  the  drain  that  will  be  caused  by  the  pending  draft 
it  seems  unlikely  that  the  ticket-selling  force  can  be  appreciably  in- 
creased in  the  near  future. 

Thes-e  conditions  are  frankly  stated  that  the  public  may  have  some 
idea  of  the  situation  and  refrain  from  unnecessary  travel.  The 
increase  in  passenger  rates  seems  to  have  had  no  effect.  Mr.  McAcloo 
has  appealed  to  the  public  to  avoid  pleasure  traveling,  but  he  seems 
to  have  been  unheeded.  It  is  not  possible  for  the  United  States  Rail- 
road Administration  to  put  a  quart  in  a  pint  bottle.  It  can  not  carry 
the  soldiers  who  must  be  transported  comfortably  and  provide  the 
public  with  the  luxury  and  accommodations  to  which  they  have  been 
previously  accustomed.  The  former  is  an  imperative  duty,  and  this 
is  written  that  those  who  complain  of  the  crowded  cars  and  the 
delays  at  ticket  offices  may  understand  that  some  discomfort  and 
inconvenience  are  unavoidable.  Universal  mileage  books,  good  in  the 
hands  of  bearer  upon  any  railroad  under  the  control  of  the  Dhvctot 
General,  have  been  devised  and  are  now  on  sale.  Those  who  use 
them  will  avoid  the  delay  usually  encountered  in  the  purchase  of 
tickets,  but  the  best  method  of  relieving  the  situation  is  to-  avoid 
unnecessary  travel  and  preach  the  gospel  of  ""winning  the  war  by 
staying  at  home  "  among  your  friends  by  both  precept  and  example. 

2.  The  surcharge  of  one-half  cent  a  mile  now  made  for  transpor- 
tation in  parlor  or  sleeping  cars,  which  charge  is  in  addition  to  the 
regular  Pullman  fare,  is  another  thing  that  provokes  many  com- 
plaints. The  reasonableness  of  this  charge  will  be  appreciated  in  the 
light  of  the  following  comparisons:  With  one  person  in  a  berth  the 
average  sleeping  car  will  accommodate  but  27  people,  whereas  a  mod- 
ern coach  has  seats  for  approximately  GO  people.  Upon  the  average,  a 
passenger  in  a  sleeping  car  occupies  13J  square  feet  of  space,  whereas 
a  passenger  in  a  modern  steel  coach  occupies  but  7|  square  feet.  The 
average  dead- weight  per  seat  in  a  sleeping  ear  is  3,250  pounds*  whereas 
the  average  dead-weight  per  seat  in  a  modern  steel  coach  is  but  1,400 
pounds.  The  passenger  capacity  of  a  sleeping  car  is,  therefore,  less 
than  half  of  the  passenger  capacity  of  the  average  coach  and  the 
engine  load  per  passenger  is  more  than  double  in  the  case  of  Ptolhnstit 
cars  that  are  completely  filled,  and  still  further  increased  when  they 
are  only  half  filled,  as  was  not  infrequently  the  case  when  a  person 


10  THE   PUBLIC   BE   PLEASED. 

•with  only  one  transportation  ticket  was  permitted  the  exclusive  occu- 
pation of  a  section.  In  view  of  these  figures  the  reasonableness  of  the 
increased  charge  now  made  for  t?ie  luxury  of  a  Pullman  car  at  once 
becomes  apparent.  It  is  not  necessary  to  elaborate  upon  it. 

3.  The  rule  which  makes  it  impossible  to  reserve  Pullman  accom- 
modations without  paying  for  them  and  another  rule,  formerly 
in  force,  which  made  it  necessary  tha«t  Pullman  tickets  not  used 
should  be  sent  to  Chicago  for  redemption  are  the  subjects  of  many 
complaining  letters.     These  rules  were  deliberately  adopted  in  an 
effort  to  prevent  those  who  were  only  thinking  about  a  journey  that 
they  were  not  certain  to  make  from  preempting  the  Pullman  space 
that  was  urgently  required  by  others  who  were  compelled  to  travel. 
iWhen  it  was  possible  to  reserve  a  berth  by  telegraph  or  telephone  or 
buy  a  Pullman  ticket  and  get  your  money  back  at  the  last  moment,  it 
frequently  happened  that  sleepers  in  which  all  the  berths  were  re- 
served in  the  morning  would  go  out  half  filled  in  the  evening  because 
the  reserved  space  had  not  been  taken  up  or  had  been  released  so  late 
that  it  could  not  be  resold.    Now  that  it  is  necessary  that  both  the 
railway  ticket  and  the  Pullman  space  must  be  paid  for  before  a  berth 
can  be  reserved,  only  those  who  are  reasonably  certain  of  traveling 
make  reservations,  and  the  Pullman  cars  are  better  filled,  to  the  ad- 
vantage of  both  the  public  and  the  railways.    The  rule  which  made  it 
necessary  to  send  Pullman  tickets  to  Chicago  for  redemption  has 
recently  been  rescinded  and  they  will  now  be  redeemed  at  the  office- 
of  sale  provided  they  are  presented  long  enough  before  the  departure 
of  the  trains  to  permit  of  their  resale.    Thus  tickets  on  trains  leaving 
during  the  forenoon  of  any  day  must  be  presented  at  the  office  of  sale 
by  5.30  o'clock  p.  m.  on  the  previous  day,  and  tickets  on  trains  leaving 
after  12  o'clock  noon  must  be  presented  at  least  three  hours  before 
the  departure  of  the  trains  for  which  they  are  sold.    Pullman  space 
released  later  will,  if  possible,  be  resold  for  account  of  the  buyer,  and 
when  so  resold  the  tickets  will  be  redeemed  if  sent  by  mail  to  the 
Pullman  Co.  in  Chicago.    The  necessity  of  providing  Pullman  cars 
for  the  transportation  of  our  troops  on  night  journeys  has  made  it 
necessary  to  adopt  these  rules,  all  of  which  are  designed  to  secure  a 
full  loading  of  the  sleepers  which  are  used  by  the  public  and  thereby 
release  those  which  are  necessary  for  the  transportation  of  soldiers. 

4.  The  sale  of  surcharge  tickets  for  transportation  in  Pullman 
cars  when  no  berths  or  seats  are  to  be  had  is  one  of  the  things 
properly  complained  of  that  has  been  remedied.    Formerly  the  Pull- 
man Co.,  being  a  separate  and  independent  organization,  objected  to 
collecting  revenue  due  the  railroad  companies.     Now  that  both  are 
under  the  control  of  the  United  States  Railroad  Administration  this 
difficulty  has  disappeared,  and  arrangements  are  being  made  in  pur- 
suance of  which  the  Pullman  Co.  will  hereafter  sell  tickets  for  the 
transportation  surcharge  to  those,  and  only  to  those,  who  are  able  to 
secure  accommodations  in  parlor  cars  or  sleepers.    Much  of  the  un- 
necessary confusion  hitherto  arising  will  thus  be  avoided. 

5.  The  limit  of  from  24  to  48  hours  now  placed  upon  the  use  of 
tickets  issued  by  a  few  roads  that  formerly  sold  unlimited  or  30- 
day  tickets  for  short  journeys  has  also  provoked  many  complaints. 
It  is  natural  that  those  who  do  not  understand  why  this  limitation 
has  been  imposed  should  resent  it.  but  there  is  a  good  reason  for  the 
new  rule.    It  is  to  be  found  in  the  crowded  condition  of  the  trains, 


THE  PUBLIC  BE  PLEASED.  11 

makes  it  exceedingly  difficult  for  the  Conductor  to  be  sure  of 
collecting  the  tickets  from  everyone  in  the  car,  especially  when  some 
of  those  who  have  no  scruples  about  u  beating  the  railroad  "  are  skill- 
ful in  evading  hfm.  If  these  dishonest  persons  could  buy  unlimited 
tickets  and  succeed,  as  many  of  them  do.  in  riding  without  surrender- 
ing them,  they  would  be  able  to  resell  the  unused  ticket  or  get  a  second 
or  third  ride  free,  thus  giving  them  an  advantage  over  their  more 
conscientious  fellow  travelers.  A  limited  ticket  good  only  on  the  day 
of  issue  makes  such  practices  more  difficult,  and  the  rule  prohibiting 
the  sale  of  unlimited  tickets  has  been  framed  in  the  interest  of  the 
honest  as  against  the  dishonest  person  and  is  to  be  commended  rather 
than  rnmlornned. 

6.  Ill-kept  stations,  cars,  and  lavatories  compose  another  group  of 
the  grievances  complained  of  in  many  letters  that  reach  the  Bureau 
for  Suggestions  and  Complaints.    The  investigations  which  have  fol- 
lowed the  receipt  of  these  letters  reveal  not  a  few  cases  of  genuine 
neglect  an-d  carelessness.     Efforts  are  being  made  to  prevent  their 
recurrence  and  enforce  high  standards  of  cleanliness  and  sanitation 
everywhere.    It  is  to  be  admitted,  however,  that  the  shortage  of  labor 
makes  this  difficult,  and  that  while  the  war  lasts  immaculate  house- 
keeping is  hardly  to  be  expected.    One  of  the  letters  received  upon 
this  subject  is  worthy  of  special  notice.    It  came  from  a  woman  in  a 
Pennsylvania  town  where  the  station  was  unkempt.    The  writer  said 
that  she  knew  that  the  station  agent  was  doing  all  that  he  could,  but 
that  she  realized  that  it  was  impossible  for  him  with  the  help  at  his 
disposal  to  keep  things  in  a  presentable  condition,  and  she  offered  to 
organize  a  committee  of  women  who  would  'undertake  to  sweep  out 
and  clean  the  station  daily  as  part  of  their  war  work.     It  has  not 
yet  boon  decided  whether  it  would  be  expedient  to  accept  this  offer, 
but  the  admirable  public  spirit  that  it  expresses  is  entitled  to  appre- 
ciative recognition. 

7.  The  departure  and  arrival  of  trains  at  inconvenient  hours  and 
schedules  whicii  are  .arranged  to  prevent  rather  than  facilitate 
dose  connections  between  trains  on  roads  that  were  formerly  in 
competition   are   matters  that  are  complained  of  in  still  another 
group  of  letters,  many  of  which  have  been  helpful  to  the  officials  who 
over  since  the  United  States  Railroad  Administration  was  organized 
have  been  trying  to -coordinate  the  railway  time-tables  of  the  various 
roads. 

Now  that  competition  is  eliminated,  there  is  every  reason  why  the 
national  time-table  should  be  synchronized  as  far  as  possible.  Efforts 
are  being  made  toward  this  end,  but  the  arrangment  of  a  railroad 
schedule  is  a  matter  of  infinite  complexity  and  its  rearrangement  is 
even  more  difficult.  There -are  many  communities  in  the  United  States 
where  the  whole  scheme  of  living  hns  become  /adjusted  to  the  arrival 
and  departure  of  certain  trains.  To  change  their  time  would  in- 
volve -almost  a  social  revolution.  Then  again  a  single  change  in  a 
schedule  may  compel  hundreds  of  other  changes  at  other  points  or 
on  other  roads,  and  each  innovation  must  be  carefully  studied.  Some 
improvements  have  already  been  made,  and  ultimately,  no  doubt,  a 
large  portion  of  the  time  HOT .iwisted  in  waiting  for  connections  can 
be  saved;  but  in  the  effort  to  attain  the  ideal  in  this  as  in  other  re- 
spects great  care  roust  bo  used  t*»  avoid  dropping  a  monkey  wrench 
into  the  machinery  that  is  already  working  fairly  welL 


12  THE   PUBLIC  BE  PLEASED. 

This  about  completes  the  list  of  what  have  come  to  be  called  "  con- 
ventional grievances  "  in  the  Bureau  for  Suggestions  and  Complaints. 
Of  course,  it  does  not  include  many  other  things  that  are  complained 
of,  nor  does  it  take  account  of  the  innumerable  suggestions  that  are 
made  for  the  improvement  of  the  service.  Some  of  these  suggestions 
are  practicable  and  have  been  thankfully  adopted.  Others,  as  for  in- 
stance, a  bachelor's  advice  that  a  nursery  car  reserved  for  mothers 
and  children  should  be  run  upon  every  train,  are  impracticable. 

Complaints  of  discourtesy  on  the  part  of  employees  are  less  fre- 
quent than  might  have  been  expected  and  are  about  equal  in  number 
to  the  letters  of  commendation  received. 

The  consolidation  of  ticket  offices,  which  was  at  first  criticized,  is 
now  generally  approved  as  the  new  offices  are  getting  into  working 
order  and  their  convenience  is  appreciated. 

The  delays  in  settling  claims  for  lost  or  damaged  freight  and  bag- 
gage are  the  subjects  of  many  letters  which  will,  no  doubt,  lead  to  a 
reform  in  the  traditional  policy  of  many  claim  agents  who  had  been 
in  the  habit  of  trying  to  save  money  for  their  roads  by  a  procrastina- 
tion which  often  wore  the  claimants  out.  Mr.  McAdoo  has  ordered 
that  just  claims  shall  be  promptly  paid,  and  that  unjust  or  dishonest 
demands  shall  be  resisted  and  the  claimants  prosecuted  where  there 
is  any  evidence  of  criminality. 

Concurrently  with  the  increase  in  passenger  travel  there  has  natu- 
rally been  an  increased  amount  of  baggage  to  handle,  but  the  com- 
paratively small  number  of  letters  reporting  "  lost  trunks  "  encourages 
t]13  j-n.jVf  that  the  baggage  men  have  succeeded  in  meeting;  the  strain 
to  which  they  have  been  'subjected.  jJpmay  not  be  amiss,  jnowever,  to 
express  the  hope  that  the  American  public  will  soon  realize  that  it  is 
a  war  duty  to  travel  with  as  little  baggage  as  possible  when  travel  is 
necessary.  Handling  heavy  baggage  is  a  duty  that  can  only  be  per- 
formed by  strong  and  vigorous  men,  and  delay  in  the  transportation 
and  delivery  of  heavy  trunks  is  almost  inevitable  when  the  number 
of  such  men  available  is  constantly  being  decreased  by  the  draft. 

Generally,  and  with  few  exceptions,  the  communications  reveal  a 
widespread  desire  to  cooperate  with  Mr.  McAdoo  and  the  United 
States  Railroad  Adminstration  in  the  effort  that  is  being  made  to 
improve  railroad  efficiency  for  the  winning  of  the  war.  To  this 
everything  else  must  be  subordinated,  and  in  comparison  with  this 
everything  else  is  trivial.  Our  soldiers  must  be  carried  in  comfort  on 
what,  for  some  of  them,  will  be  their  last  journey  in  their  own 
country.  While  they  are  risking  their  lives  for  our  protection  on  the 
battle  fields  and  in  the  trenches  of  Europe,  they  must  be  kept  liberally 
supplied  with  everything  that  they  may  require.  Our  allies  must  be 
fed.  Our  wounded  must  be  brought  back  and  tenderly  carried  to  the 
homes  and  hospitals  that  are  ready  to  receive  them.  The  Bureau  for 
Suggestions  and  Complaints  was  primarily  organized  to  promote  the 
efficiency  with  which  the  railroads  may  serve  the  Nation  in  the  doing 
of  these  things. 

If  it  shall  have  exalted  the  convenience  or  comfort  of  the  indi- 
vidual to  the  disservice  of  the  country  or  a  civilization  that  has  be- 
come militant  in  the  assertion  of  right  and  the  protection  of  human- 
ity, then  it  had  better  be  discontinued.  Comfort  and  convenience 
must  give  way  before  the  supreme  needs  of  war  and  be  surrendered 
until  victory  is  ours. 

o 


